“Good morning.” She stepped in front of him, not giving him any choice but to look up or run her over.

He picked the former. “Is it?”

That question suggested some doubts still lurked under there. He smiled but the expression lacked his usual brightness. Those dark eyes held an unmistakable wariness.

Every other part of McHottiePants looked just fine.

Determined not to let him curl into an emotional ball and avoid her, she rested her hand on his chest and gave him a long, lingering morning kiss. When he made a sexy little noise at the back of his throat, she lifted her head and treated him to a smile. “You’re in a mood.”

The quiet ticked by for a few seconds. She was going to have to force this. Give him a gentle push. “Connor?”

He exhaled. “I’m sorry about last night. That was a lot to dump on someone. I didn’t even know it was stuck in there until it tumbled out.”

And there it was. He’d shown her a side she’d ached to see and finally let a piece of Alexis go, and he worried he’d upset her. Some part of him might be embarrassed. Revealing that much was not an easy thing. It could leave a hole that was tough to fill. Expose a vulnerability that wasn’t easy to handle.

Only men saw that as weakness. She knew being able to process feelings like that was positive. A very human thing.

“I’m not.” Her fingers curled against his soft shirt. “Sorry, I mean.”

“That’s a bit bloodless.” But he didn’t sound angry. The amusement was right there in his voice.

He no longer hid his face from her and that smile suggested he could handle a little emotional wrestling if it meant he’d find support afterward.

She lifted her arms and wound them around his neck. This close she could smell the soap on his skin. “That man from last night has a bright future. I’m betting he can get most anything he wants.”

His smile brightened. “Oh, really?”

She loved this side of him. Lighter, a bit more carefree. Wearing only a pair of boxer briefs and a T-shirt she could easily slip off, and she might do so very soon.

This living together thing had a lot of side benefits.

“He’s the kind of man a woman might bet on.” She’d gambled everything on him last night. Bet he could maneuver his way through some heady stuff and come out better on the other side. She’d never been so happy to be right.

“I do like to think of myself as a prize,” he said with his cockiness back on full display.

“Wow.” She pretended the ego blast shocked her but she really loved hearing him joke.